Just Thinking
by starrybubble
Summary: <html><head></head>Just a little drabble about Max's thoughts about Kevin joining the group. Hope you like it. ONESHOT!</html>


**Hey everybody! I know I kinda just dropped off the face of the planet, for like, a year. But, I've currently fallen in love with a new cartoon: Ben 10. And since my fave character just happens to be the adorable, silent, strong and suave Kevin, I just though I'd write a little OneShot about Max's feelings about him in the group.**

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><p>Max was full of so many memories every time he saw Kevin with his grandkids. They were at his favorite fishing spot now, the kids frolicking in the water during one of their rare breaks from fighting aliens.<p>

Kevin. It had been hard to trust him at first, for so many reasons. He was so unstable, always on the verge of insanity, but it wasn't his fault. It was due to his heritage, his uncontrollable Osmosian DNA that was a curse in as many ways as it was a blessing.

And the first time they had met him, that summer so long ago when Ben was still childish and Gwen was still naïve, he had been so lost, so far past his limit that even Max hadn't recognized the child he had seen when he was only a baby. It scared him to think that Kevin had changed so much, so fast, and he kept his knowledge to himself, too scared to even try and help the poor child.

Oh, he regretted not telling him earlier. Regretted not telling his grandchildren that Kevin was almost family to him, another grandchild, the son of a man he had been so close to. He regretted not telling Kevin about his father, not helping him get past his powers.

Then, he was gone, sent into the Null Void for what was supposed to have been forever. And as ashamed as he was to admit it, he had been relieved. Relieved when a young child had been sent into a horrible wasteland of galactic criminals. Relieved that the son of his friend was gone. And he would never forgive himself for letting Kevin go without even trying to help.

And then, years later, he had come back. Miraculously well, healthy, and with a better understanding of his powers that Max was grateful for. True, he was…coarse. He had fallen in with a bad crowd, but really, what else was to be expected of a child who had been on his own for so long and had already been through so much? Max knew that everything could have turned out so much worse, and compared to that, this was a million times better.

And he had grown so much. Oh, not just taller and more muscular, although that too was impressive. He saw so much of Devin in that young man. The quietness, the energy. They had the same fierce compassion for their friends, the same deep loyalty. The way they'd both spring back from blows with even more vigor than they'd had before. The way their jaws would set stubbornly, the way they'd both try to hide their emotions, the way they'd sacrifice themselves for their friends, for the world.

But what surprised him the most was how much of himself he saw in Kevin. The same love—a deep burning passion, more like it—for cars, for alien technology. Of course, Max learned about that stuff in Plumber academy, while Kevin learned it from repo missions and underhand dealing, but nobody was perfect. The stubbornness in both of them, the way they'd just hold everything in and work through the situation, no matter how bad it got.

Truth be told, he still didn't trust Kevin completely. No, not because of his character, because of what he was. Because he constantly risked insanity, losing control. It scared him how close he was to Ben and Gwen. His two favorite grandkids, the two that meant everything to him, and now they were (unknowingly) hanging around a man that had the power to destroy them both in a few heartbeats.

Not that Kevin would ever do that, he really had changed. But the fact remained that he was Osmosian, and Osmosians absorbed power. And him just being around the Ultimatrix, the most powerful weapon in the universe, set Max on edge. What worried him even more was how close he and Gwen had become. It was sweet, he had to admit, looking at them and remembering what life had been like with Verdona so long ago. But Gwen was an Anodite too, and Osmosians just don't mix with Anodites. Kevin could, could _absorb_ her any time he wanted to, and Max just couldn't bear to see that happen. Of course, neither could Kevin, and even though it must have been excruciatingly difficult, he controlled himself, and Max couldn't be more grateful.

So, for more than one reason, he was willing to give Kevin the chance he deserved. He at least owed Devin that.

"Grandpa?" Gwen voice echoed in his head, breaking him out of his reverie.

"Yes, Gwen?" he said quickly, blinking.

"Um, you kind of spaced out for a sec. Anything you needed to tell us?" she asked, and Max looked at her, looked at her big green eyes, at her hair that was almost the same shade of red as Verdona's was the day they had met. Then he looked to where Ben had just pushed Kevin into the icy water, looked at where the young man, half-laughing, half-yelling, dragged Ben into the water as well, and remembered his young partner from years ago.

"No, Gwen." he replied to his granddaughter. "Just thinking."

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><p><strong>Well, there it was. I hope it was at least decent, since I'm kind of rusty now. And yes, I will now be updating my old stories, so check them out if you havent already! Reviews aren't actually necessary for this one, since it's a one-shot, but if you want, go ahead! I'm not stopping you.<strong>


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